Vasu Chanchlani (born July 1, 1952 – September 7, 2014) was an Indian-Canadian serial entrepreneur, philanthropist and trans-nations builder. He is co-founder of the Sigma Group of Companies and a founding member of the Canada India Foundation. He is also an investor in dozens of companies globally consisting of start-ups and turn-arounds. He is best known for his efforts towards improving Canada-India relations through his philanthropic activities and engagement with Indian Diaspora to serve bilateral interests of both Canada and India. Most recently, Vasu was awarded the Top 25 Canadian Immigrants award by the Canadian Immigrant magazine (a Toronto Star Publication). On January 9, 2014, his excellency shri Pranab Mukherjee, President of the Republic of India, conferred the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award (PBSA), the highest honour bestowed on non-resident Indians, by the Government of India. Education and early life Chanchlani was born in Bhopal (M.P), India, to an upper-middle-class family. After completing high school in Bhopal, he went on to receive degrees from the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (Masters in Industrial and Management Engineering), and an MBA from the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, Canada. He began his career with Tata Consultancy Services in India, and moved to Canada in 1979. He began working with Nortel, eventually becoming the Senior Manager of Information Services before starting his own business. Philanthropy Vasu Chanchlani established his private Canadian charitable foundation, the Chanchlani Foundation in early 2000s. Chanchlani's philanthropic efforts are guided by the motto to "inspire people and reward global excellence". He has made serious financial contributions for supporting path-breaking health and public policy research as well as nurturing entrepreneurship and leveraging New Canadians’ success and influence for deeper and gainful engagement between Canada and India. Canada India Foundation Chanchlani has made an endowment of one million dollars to create the CIF Chanchlani Global Indian Award, an award that recognizes innovation and global leadership in the Indian diaspora. Past recipients of this honour include Ratan Tata and Sam Pitroda. Chanchlani also works with the foundation to enhance its engagement with Indian leaders such as former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Minister of Human Resource Development Kapil Sibal, economic policy-maker Montek Singh Ahluwalia, and former Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations Dr. Shashi Tharoor. The Centre of South Asian Civilization: University of Toronto Chanchlanis have made a gift of $2 million to create the Centre for South Asian Civilization at the University